Fiber optic connectors essentially require that they have a dust cap placed over the end thereof to prevent dust from accumulating on the end face of the fiber optic ferrule. The dust caps also prevent damage to the end face as well. Material deposited on and damage to the front end of the fiber optic connector can interfere with the operation of the fiber optic connector and may even cause the fiber optic connector to be replaced. Some of the current elastomeric dust cap designs, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,262,294, require that the dust cap is locked on the fiber optic connector by outer sleeve. However, moving the inner and outer sleeves may also cause debris. There are also other dust caps that depend on the interference fit to seal around the connector housing, but do not seal around the ferrule. The elastomeric caps tend to collect debris and generate debris when they are installed and removed from the fiber optic connectors. These dust caps are typically made from thermoplastic elastomers because the material is relatively inexpensive. Unlike many thermoset elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers tend to outgas materials over time. The outgassed materials can also cause contamination on the fiber optic ferrule.
Thus, Applicant has identified that a dust cap for a fiber optic connector is needed that prevents the accumulation of dust on the end faces and does not require that the inner and outer housings be moved so as to further reduce the contamination possibilities. The new dust cap is also made from non out-gassing materials.